Maybe
by debbydo0dles45
Summary: Paige is not dealing and you know with what. Set after Charmageddon.


**A petite one-shot for your reading pleasures. Set after Charmageddon.**

It had been happening for two weeks, to date. Every night, Piper had been woken up to that same sound of muffled crying coming from down the hall, that at first she was unable to pinpoint.

She had put the boys to bed much earlier, and both of her sisters were already asleep as well, or so she had thought. All tuckered out from the running around she did everyday, Wyatt to preschool, then back home to Chris, then out to the club, then back to Wyatt's preschool, then home again to cook dinner and to see her sisters. It was really starting to wear her down, especially since Chris was still only 6 months old, but just like every other mom, she had to deal with her responsibilities.

With the extra added burden of demon hunting, though.

At first, she had thought it was Chris crying. She rushed into his and Wyatts' room, only to see that both of her sons were fast asleep.

Her next stop was Phoebe's room, but she too was perfectly fine.

So that left Paige. Piper practically ran into her baby sister's room, expecting her to be hurt or dying or something, because Paige never, ever, ever, cried as far as Piper knew.

She opened the door to her sister's room softly, expecting a disaster. But no, Paige wasn't even awake, and Piper realized she was sobbing in her sleep.

Shocked, Piper moved over to the bed and gently shook her sister's shoulder.

"Paige, sweetie…Paigey?"

Paige did not stir and Piper could see the dried tears on her face, slicked over with the ones that kept coming.

Piper lowered herself down onto the bed and stroked her sister's hair, trying to wake her from whatever dream was making her so sad. Yet, she was awkward and didn't know what to do to comfort her baby sister. She had never been put in a situation like this before, where Paige actually needed her.

"Honey, why are you crying?" she asked her sister's sleeping form, hoping for some sort of answer.

Paige did not see or hear her. All she could her were his words and all she could see was his dead body

_Paige can take care of Brody. I think she likes taking care of Brody if you know what I'm talking about. Besides, this is family…I think it's pretty clear that your sister doesn't trust me very much…_ _I'm not here to hurt anybody, Paige. I'm here to keep them from getting hurt, remember...Okay, look, I'm sorry, I really am, and I tried, I did. But I don't trust him, therefore I'm gonna continue calling him Brody and you can call him Kyle because you have a crush on him…I do not have a crush on him. My interest is strictly professional…_ _Maybe I'm just crazy. Crazy for cops. Tough cops. Kind of cops that'll arrest your heart…_ _I wonder if I know what you mean…__I wonder if I... Shut up and kiss m…_ _Actually, you know what, Kyle? I think we have. I'm sorry that you don't or won't understand. But my sisters and I, we actually do. Everything... Everything the Avatars have said or done has been totally legit. They didn't force this on us. It's something we really want for everybody…_ _Please don't hate me…I don't hate you. Of course I don't hate you…I didn't want it to end like this…It's not gonna end this way. I promise. I'm gonna call for help...__I'm sorry, Paige. We've come too far to go back now…But he's dying…_ _I did not sign up for this experiment so you could play God! So, you fix this right now!…_ _Please... Please._

"Please. Please" the sleeping Paige had mumbled her tears flowing harder

"Shh, honey shh" Piper consoled her, over what she was unsure.

"Kyle!" Paige screamed through a sob as she shot up in bed, before breaking down into a little ball of tears.

Piper understood then, that although her sister had put on a tough front, she had never mourned Kyle in the way she should've. She hadn't dealt with it. She hadn't talked to her sisters. And now, her emotions were overtaking her completely.

Piper held her littlest sister, and kissed her head, as Paige curled up against Piper's body like she was trying to hide.

Every now and then she would whimper, "Kyle", or "No please" And though she was tired herself, Piper held her, until her crying subsided into sniffles and Paige fell into a calmed sleep.

That had been the first night. Piper had vowed to talk to Paige in the morning, to confront her, with Phoebe hopefully at her side. But it hadn't happened.

Paige had gone off to work that morning, in a decent mood, but she had never mentioned the previous night's events to Piper who watched her expectantly as she bustled out the door.

"What're you looking at?" she had asked Piper huffily before exiting the manor. Piper had just said nothing, but from this remark, Piper concluded that Paige had no recollection of what occurred. Same as she didn't that night, or the night after, or the night after that.

But now, it was the fourteenth night, two weeks on the mark, and Piper felt as though she was the mother of a newborn infant again, waking up at all hours of the night to lull her baby back to sleep. She was exhausted and as the bags under her eyes grew, her efforts to comfort Paige became less enthused, and she strongly considered leaving her sister to cry it out on her own. But, she couldn't bring herself to. Paige had been through so much in her 24 years, yet remained a baby in so many ways. She was too immature and irresponsible to handle many things yet, Kyle's death being one of them, and had a lot of growing up to do. Piper hadn't notice it before, but Paige kept up a tough, beautiful outer exterior, which hid her inner self, that remained a child.

She knew that even if she had confronted Paige, her headstrong sibling would've denied any help claiming to be fine as she always did. It made Piper wonder how many other things Paige claimed to be fine about that were really killing her inside. Like her parent's deaths, being put up for adoption, nearly getting killed on a daily basis, the works. She cursed herself for naively believing that if anything were seriously wrong, Paige would come to her like Phoebe would. Apparently she had been wrong.

So, she had asked Phoebe for advice. Her sister had indeed majored in psychology and therefore should have been able to help. After the initial concern and worry Phoebe simply responded,

"Well, maybe it's just a phase."

"A phase? At 24?" Piper had questioned doubtfully

Phoebe shrugged. "As you said, she really isn't acting like much of an adult."

Piper had no choice but to agree. It was what she saw with her own two eyes every night, which showed no inkling of itself during the day. It was half a phase, in that it would certainly pass with time, but unlike one in that it wasn't just a random attitude. Piper concluded the other part that caused it was Paige's personality. Some people age 1000 years with a death, others revert to a more childlike, dependant state. Paige was the latter, but had no clue.

So, Phoebe helped her get Paige back to sleep every now and then, but it was a rare occasion since she was usually fast asleep by the time the cries came, and Piper didn't have the heart to wake her. Tonight, was one of those nights.

She pulled her tired body from under her sheets, where she had very nearly drifted off into a peaceful slumber. As she walked towards Paige's bedroom, the cries became louder, as they always did. Piper wondered how Phoebe was able to sleep through the noise.

Piper gently opened the door, and was taken aback to see Paige sitting on the couch, which extended from her windowsill, her arms wrapped around he knees, and her entire body wracking with sobs as she looked out into the night.

"Paige?" Piper whispered, frightened more than ever of her fragile sister.

Paige whipped her head around in a fury. "Kyle?" she asked, before she saw who it was.

Piper lips curled into a sad smile. "No, baby, it's just me. I heard you crying so I came to check on you."

Paige swiftly swiped the tears from her swollen eyes, the green in them brighter than ever in contrast to the red. "I'm fine. I'm just…."

Piper stopped her. "Honey, you aren't fine." She replied sitting near Paige on the couch, but not nearly next to her. Her crying still irked Piper and made her feel ill inside.

"I am!" Paige insisted "Everything is fine. The world is fine, my life is fine, and I'm fine."

Piper frowned "Sweetie, this is the 14th night I've come in hear because you were crying in your sleep. I know you're upset about Kyle, and I just want you to talk to me baby."

Piper kind words, and sweet talking to Paige backfired in her face and made the younger of the too grow resilient. It was the first and only way she knew how to react to people calling he rout on her weaknesses.

"I told you I'm fine!" she screamed her head growing read and her tears pouring down in torrents. "I don't need you, so just leave me alone!"

"I'm not going anywhere Paige, not until we resolve this." Piper insisted becoming more and more discouraged. "You do need me."

"I don't. I don't1 I can take care of it myself!" she retorted, and as Piper reached out to wrap her in a hug, she thrashed against her and ended up hitting her.

Piper was reaching her breaking point. "Paige!" she said through cinched teeth "Don't you give me this bullshit, okay? I have been putting my all into helping you for the past two weeks and for what? So you can throw a tantrum like my two year old son?"

"I never asked for you help!" Paige cried back, the tough façade she had been attempting to keep up dissolving. "Just leave me alone then. You have no idea what its like!"

"I have no idea what its like?" Piper argued back "do you have any idea how much I've lost. I lost my mom too, Paige. I lost my sister too. I lost so many boyfriends you have no idea so, please, little sister, do not tell me that I don't know how it feels."

Paige recoiled in deeper tears, and drew her knees to her chest and buried her head in them. She was crier harder than Piper had ever witnessed, and Piper knew she had not done the right thing. Paige needed her soft side, not her bitchy one. She was still just a kid.

"Baby, I'm sorry. That wasn't the right thing to say. You've been through a lot." Piper said reached over to stroke the top of her sister's head.

Paige looked up, her eyes wide and said, "I think I'm going to be sick."

She was indeed sick, and all over Piper's slippers. She looked at her sister worriedly, but Piper just shook her head. "They were ugly anyway."

She slipped off the slippers, her feet left unharmed and pulled her legs up unto the couch. She held her arms out to her baby sister who was looking at her expectantly.

"Come here"

Paige looked shocked. 'I'm not a baby."

"I don't care."

Paige's anger dissolved and she crawled over into Piper's lap. Piper put her arms around her baby sister and rocked her gently. It was just what Paige had needed.

She had started crying again, this time into Piper's shoulder, and Piper continued her gentle back and forth movements. That is, until she spotted a jar of sleeping pills and a bottle of vodka suspiciously sitting on Paige's nightstand.

She pulled Paige away from her and shifted her sister towards the offending products. "Paige, have you been drinking, and taking those?"

Paige's lower lip trembled "I just wanted to fall asleep better. I know I shouldn't but..."

Piper realized that if she had been exhausted Paige was too "You better believe you shouldn't. Paigey, that's a lethal combination! It could've killed you!"

Paige hiccupped and wiped her runny nose on her sleeve. "Oh"

"But you threw up, so I guess you'll be okay.' Piper decided pulling Paige back towards her.

Paige sniffled. "Piper, I miss him so much."

Her sister's words were so pained, and Piper cringed. She held Paige tighter. "Baby, don't do this to yourself. Remember, when the avatars had the control over us, and you said well, at least he's in a better place now? That's true honey, and you have to believe it. Its okay for you to cry, and to be upset, but I want you to come to me and Phoebe about it and not keep it all to yourself, because it's not healthy. I just want you to be happy, like I know Kyle would."

Instead of subsiding like Piper had wanted them too Paige's sobs grew louder. "He's not in a better place Piper. He doesn't want me to be happy!"

"Don't say that honey. You'll drive yourself nuts."

"Piper, the Elders made him a white lighter. He's still here, but I can never see him again1! He won't come to me Piper! He doesn't want to see me. I call and call but he never comes."

Piper was in true shock and didn't know what to say. "Oh, Paigey sweetheart. I had no idea!" she said hugging her sister tighter "Shh, it's all going to be okay. I'm here now. I'm here for you always, and so is Phoebe. No matter how many guy come in and out of our lives, we'll always have each other. I'll always be your big sister, and I promise you will always have me no matter what."

Paige drew her arms around Piper's neck in a small hug and yawned. Much to Piper's relief, she was sure Paige was going to be okay, and that if she wasn't she would come to her. She felt Paige's breathing become even, and she looked down to see her droopy eyed sister dozing off right in her arms. It was so sweet, Piper was sure she could never be mad at Paige again, although she was sure at some point they would fight again.

Not having the heart to break Paige away from her, she lifted her sister to her bed, but a short distance away, and tucked her in tightly.

"I'm too old for this" Paige whined ineffectively as Piper leaned down to kiss her head.

"Even when you're 50, you'll never be too old to be my baby sister." Piper replied as Paige played with her hand absentmindedly, twirling her rings around her slim fingers. Piper reached this same hand up and stroked Paige's cheek.

"There. No more tears now, okay? The last time I saw you this upset you almost died. It's not healthy to get yourself so worked up honey."

Paige nodded and yawned. She handed Piper the snow globe Kyle had given her.

"Wind it up Piper it plays Jingle Bells."

"Alright" And she did so. "And you little missy, go to sleep"

Paige smiled as the soft music filled her room and she snuggled under her covers. Piper kissed her sisters cheek lightly and shut off the lights in the room, and she closed the door, Paige called her back.

"Piper?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Thanks, and I'm sorry." She said sleepily "I don't mean to be so difficult"

"Don't mention it kiddo, don't even mention it. And difficult or not, I think I'll keep ya around."

Paige giggled as Piper shut the door. "Night Piper. I love you."

"I love you too Paigey."

**So there's my little one-shot. Not the best thing ever, but still. :) Hope you enjoyed kids.**


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